State-bred stakes often allow horses to acquire black type while avoiding the stiffer competition they might face at graded stakes. Talented sprinter originally from California Vron is selected flipped that script for the June 1 Triple Bend Stakes (G2) at Santa Anitafor the potential benefit of fellow Cal-breds Big city lights .
It worked once already. After winning two stakes, Big City Lights finished second to The Chosen Vron in four consecutive Cal-bred stakes, the only losses of his career. So trainer Richard Mandella and owner William Peeples skipped the January 13 California Cup Sprint with Big City Lights, leaving that win to The Chosen Vron. Instead, Big City Lights faced the company open in an option grants claim and the Palos Verdes Shares (G3) on February 10, passing both tests.
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Chosen Vron and Big City Lights appeared together in the May 25 Thor’s Echo Stakes entries for Cal-breds, but Mandella and Peeples may have found a better path again. They dropped Big City Lights from the six-furlong Thor’s Echo in favor of the seven-furlong Triple Bend, a strategy that could make the 5-year-old filly Boss a double-rated stakes winner.
While Big City Lights has not yet faced any of the three Triple Bend opponents, The Chosen Vron, winner of 18 of 23 starts, offers a different measure. Jack was happy most recently finished second by three-quarters of a length to The Chosen Vron in the April 27 Kona Gold Stakes. In one of his four losses to The Chosen Vron, Big City Lights came closer, running just behind The Chosen Vron in the 2023 California Cup Sprint. Other defeats ranged from 1 1/4 lengths to 3 1/4 lengths.
Big City Lights, who took the outside position in the short field of four, gets a new jockey for Triple Bend, with Kyle Frey taking over from Juan Hernandez and, more recently, Flavien Prat.
Doug O’Neill trains Calumet Farm’s Happy Jack and has assigned Edwin Maldonado to ride the 5-year-old son of cow bow from post 2. In addition to his Kona Gold finish, Happy Jack also finished third in the 2022 Santa Anita Derby (G1) and San Felipe Stakes (G2). He finished unplaced in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) that year. Happy Jack started just twice in 2023 and did not win. Kona Gold is his 2024 debut and his first fight in nearly 10 months.
Hernandez will be on board Sunrise at Tahoe from lesson 3 for coach Bob Baffert. A $310,000 Keeneland September 2021, Tahoe Sunrise is a Baffert-trained Triple Crown winner American Pharaoh . Tahoe Sunrise won the 2023 General Confidence Stakes at Del Mar and will launch in 2024.
Mark Glatt, third in the Santa Anita trainer standings behind Phil D’Amato and Baffert, will return Dr. Venkman , ridden by Antonio Fresu from the rail. My 4 year old son Ghostzapper Dr. Venkman won two races last summer at Del Mar. In his third and most recent start he finished behind the graded winner Raising Cain in the seven-furlong Perryville Stakes on October 21 at Keeneland.
Item: Triple bend S. (G2)
Santa Anita ParkSaturday, June 1, 2024, Stage 6
- class II
- 7f
- Dust
- 200,000 USD
- 4 years old and up
- 3:30 pm (local)
